The Financing for Sustainable Development Report (FSDR) assesses progress in implementing the commitments and actions in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

The Financing for Sustainable Development Report (FSDR) assesses progress in implementing the commitments and actions in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Global sustainable development prospects continue to diverge. Two years ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inter-agency Task Force warned of a global divergence that could lead to a lost decade for development. By 2022, these risks had materialized--a great finance divide was translating into a development divide. Over the past 12 months, the war in Ukraine, sharp increases in food and energy prices and rapidly tightening financial conditions further exacerbated challenges for many countries, increasing hunger and poverty and reversing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite some positive signs, the global macroeconomic outlook remains highly uncertain and particularly bleak for many of the poorest and most vulnerable countries faced with growing debt service burdens and tight fiscal constraints. Delaying investment in transformation is thus not an option. The multiple crises can shorten the time horizons for decisions--by policymakers, investors, businesses and individuals. Delaying investments would put the 2030 targets out of reach and exacerbate financing and macroeconomic challenges down the line. Sustainable and productive investments today can transform and diversify economies and enhance resilience to shocks, including inflationary supply-side shocks, tomorrow. As laid out in the 2022 Financing for Sustainable Development Report, such investments also enable countries to mobilize resources over time and better service debt. This is why the 2023 Task Force report focuses on sustainable transformations, including a roadmap for governments, along with changes in the way finance works.

The Financing for Sustainable Development Report (FSDR) assesses progress in implementing the commitments and actions in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Global sustainable development prospects continue to diverge. Two years ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inter-agency Task Force warned of a global divergence that could lead to a lost decade for development. By 2022, these risks had materialized--a great finance divide was translating into a development divide. Over the past 12 months, the war in Ukraine, sharp increases in food and energy prices and rapidly tightening financial conditions further exacerbated challenges for many countries, increasing hunger and poverty and reversing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite some positive signs, the global macroeconomic outlook remains highly uncertain and particularly bleak for many of the poorest and most vulnerable countries faced with growing debt service burdens and tight fiscal constraints. Delaying investment in transformation is thus not an option. The multiple crises can shorten the time horizons for decisions--by policymakers, investors, businesses and individuals. Delaying investments would put the 2030 targets out of reach and exacerbate financing and macroeconomic challenges down the line. Sustainable and productive investments today can transform and diversify economies and enhance resilience to shocks, including inflationary supply-side shocks, tomorrow. As laid out in the 2022 Financing for Sustainable Development Report, such investments also enable countries to mobilize resources over time and better service debt. This is why the 2023 Task Force report focuses on sustainable transformations, including a roadmap for governments, along with changes in the way finance works.

The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2019 assesses the global economic context for development financing, highlighting growing global risks and challenges, and the need for collective action to create a more enabling international environment. This global context chapter is complemented by a thematic chapter focused on national financing frameworks for the SDGs - laying out actions that countries can take to finance their national strategies and plans and implement the Addis Agenda at the country level. The remainder of the report assesses progress in the seven action areas of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

The Trade and Development Report 2023 analyses current economic trends and major policy issues of international concern and makes suggestions for addressing these issues at various levels. The report warns that the global economy is stalling, with growth slowing in most regions compared with last year and only a few countries bucking the trend. The global economy is at a crossroads, where divergent growth paths, widening inequalities, growing market concentration and mounting debt burdens cast shadows on the future. The prospect of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is fading as a combination of rising interest rates, weakening currencies and slowing export growth squeezes the fiscal space needed for governments to fight climate change and provide for their people. The report calls for a change in policy direction – including by leading central banks – and accompanying institutional reforms promised during the COVID-19 crisis to avert a lost decade. It urges global financial reforms, more pragmatic policies to tackle inflation, inequality and sovereign debt distress, and stronger oversight of key markets. The report proposes actions to get the global economy moving in the right direction by using a balanced policy mix of fiscal, monetary and supply-side measures to achieve financial stability, boost productive investment and create better jobs. Part I of the report launches on 4 October 2023 with part II expected in November.